GOP goes McCarthy, deals gay-bashing card under the deck in Foley fallout

The Nation’s David Corn shows senior Congressional GOP going Joe McCarthy, even to the point of “We have a list” of gay Congressional staffers who allegedly set Foley up.

Count one among gay ex-staffers: Kirk Fordham, former chief of staff to Rep. Tom Reynolds, chair of the Republican Congressional Campaign Committee.

Corn details the list:

I have a copy. I’m not going to publish it. For one, I don’t know for a fact that the men on the list are gay. And generally I don't fancy outing people--though I have not objected when others have outed gay Republicans, who, after all, work for a party that tries to limit the rights of gays and lesbians and that welcomes the support of those who demonize same-sexers.

What's interesting about The List -- which includes nine chiefs of staffs, two press secretaries, and two directors of communications -- is that (if it’s acucurate) it shows that some of the religious right's favorite representatives and senators have gay staffers helping them advance their political careers and agendas. These include Representative Katherine Harris and Henry Hyde and Senators Bill Frist, George Allen, Mitch McConnell and Rick Santorum. Should we salute these legislators for being open-minded enough to have such tolerant hiring practices? After all, Santorum in a 2003 AP interview compared homosexuality to bestiality, incest and polygamy. It would be rather big of Santorum to employ a fellow who engages in activity akin to such horrors. That is, if Santorum knows about his orientation.

Corn then goes on to say this is “not about homosexuality.”

But it IS, David. True, it’s ultimately about GOP hypocrisy, but the cause of this hypocrisy in these cases is homosexuality. Maybe you won’t out gay GOP staffers, but, even with being conservative on being sure who’s gay, I hope somebody else will.

Hypocrisy at this level is bullshit, and not to lay the bullshit out on a hot, steaming platter is enabling it to continue.

I hope someone from The Advocate or Out has a copy, has the appropriate information or contacts to do some confirmation, and then starts writing.